1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to engines and, more specifically, to a thermal torque engine comprising a heated enclosure, hereinafter referred to as a hot box, and a wheel that is partially enclosed within the hot box having a plurality of arrayed canisters with diametrically opposed canister in conduit communication. Substantially half of the canisters contain a refrigerant material so that when a canister passes into the hot box, the refrigerant is heated wherethen the pressurized refrigerant moves to its conjoined canister outside of the hot box causing the wheel to turn by virtue of the thermal fluid transfer, gravity and imbalanced transfer of weight wherethen the cooler refrigerant enters the heated box thereby again heating the refrigerant that moves to the cooler canister with this process continuing as long as there is a predetermined thermal difference between the inside and outside of the thermal box. The present invention further provides that naturally occurring thermal energy is used as the thermal agent to increase the temperature within the hot box. Additionally the present invention provides for alternate fuel sources, such as, wood, gas, propane, etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other engines which provide for harvesting naturally occurring renewable energy. While these engines may be suitable for the purposes for which they where designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.
It is thus desirable to provide an engine having a plurality of diametrically conjoined canisters, one having a predetermined amount of refrigerant therein, fastened to a wheel with a portion of the wheel enclosed by a hot box so that the temperature difference between the interior and exterior of the box pressurizes the refrigerant causing the refrigerant to move from the canister within the box through conduit to the canister outside the box resulting in a weight differential/imbalance creating torque causing the wheel to incrementally turn in repetitive fashion as each of the canisters is driven between the heat laden hot box and the cooler exterior ambient temperature.
It is further desirable to preferably use naturally occurring thermal energy to heat a thermal agent that is channeled through the hot box creating a temperature difference needed to pressurize the canister refrigerant. The temperature difference within the hot box can also be generated through alternate fuel sources, such as wood, gas and propane.